UAB professor briefs Congress on obesity

Belinda Needham, assistant professor of Sociology and Social Work, presented her findings from an obesity study at a recent congressional briefing on Capitol Hill.

She was one of four panelists, who, in December, discussed the topic, "Holiday Blues: Women, Depression and Obesity" as presented by the Society for Women's Health Research. Needham revealed that depression can lead to weight gain in women. She also found that women gain weight faster than men and are two times more likely to be depressed.

An estimated 625 students will participate in the commencement ceremony, and 745 students will graduate. The university’s highest degrees will be conferred on 79 students from 18 states and seven countries in the doctoral hooding ceremony.

Following hip fracture increases after a reduction in reimbursement rates for DXA scans led to fewer scans, a UAB physician joined other advocates and successfully lobbied to increase DXA scan reimbursements to better identify and reduce hip fractures.

Christopher S. Brown, Ph.D., former vice president of Research for the University of North Carolina System and director and primary investigator of the NASA/North Carolina Space Grant, tapped to grow UAB’s $500 million annual research portfolio.

For the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Human Rights Award celebration, Henry Panion III designed a showcase of Alabama artists and the legacy of the civil rights movement. Central to the production are selections and performing artists from guitarist Eric Essix’s new recording “This Train: The Gospel Sessions.”